God's Gift // St Matthew's Day

Send us Fan Mail Sunday 20 September 2026 We are glad to welcome two special guests this morning at the 10.30 am Service: General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Estonian theologian and pastor Rev Dr Anne Burghardt, and the LWF Regional Secretary for Asia, Rev Dr Rospita Siahaan.  We take time out to celebrate a particular biblical person today – Matthew, the gospel witness.  Why remember Matthew and other saints? For praise and thanks to God for all he did through them, for learning of how they faithfully carried the gospel throughout their lives and for celebration; that we all belong to this timeless one, holy catholic (universal) church.  It would have been quite a surprise to Levi (whom Jesus named Matthew), the other members of the new ‘Jesus’ group and to everyone in town that Jesus would choose a tax collector for his holy work. They were viewed as being so unholy!  They had questionable ethics, unclean associations, ungodly desires, traitorous practice in supporting Rome and were probably defect in some way – almost subhuman.  And yet, here is Levi telling of how he was called to join Jesus in his transforming work. Matthew tells it very briefly, but we can tell it was world-changing for him.  Praying that the Lord of the Church transform you in your holy calling as his gift of God to those whom you are sent.  Pastor Adrian